New Pursuits, Successful and Otherwise

Recently, we older girls have had the opportunity to try several new household projects. Nicole made some wonderful vanilla soap, that smells great and is very gentle on the skin. Thanks to my friend Sally, I have started to culture some of our milk with kefir grains (the milk ends up like yogurt), making shakes, sourdough starter, and cheese. We haven't tried any of the cheese yet, because it has to age for so long, but hopefully it turns out well. This is the cheese hanging up for the whey to drain off.

We have had an experiment turn out rather nasty, though. I have recently been reading a cookbook called "Nourishing Traditions" that has a lot of good information on food and actual nutrients. One thing that the cookbook suggests is eating many fermented foods, like pickles. Since we don't eat much of that type of food, I decided to try the recipe for fermented ginger carrots. I got them prepared, then screwed the lid on the jar and set it on the back of the counter. Some of the family got worried at this point, since the carrots began to "squeak" every couple of hours, and leak a little bit of liquid. Since the recipe had said that the carrots would expand, I thought that maybe I just had not left quite enough room between them and the lid. Then, it came time for dinner on the third day after the carrots had begun to sit. I knew that the new dish probably wouldn't be a huge hit, so I asked everyone just to try one bite, figuring that Mommy and I would eat the leftovers sometime later. Then, I took the lid off. The carrots started running over the edge of the jar, and a horrible smell came with them. After I hurriedly found a larger container for them, I doubtfully set them on the table. I put a very small spoonful on my plate, not wanting to seem picky, but with the smell rapidly convincing me that this particular recipe was inedible. Daddy (best dad in the world!) still tried a bite, but the taste was even more convincing than the smell. The rest of the carrots were quickly collected and thrown in the compost pile. So, that try was unsuccessful, but happily the health of the family does not depend on ginger carrots. Other fermented foods will have to take their place.:)